Author Archives: Gaurav Sood

This $500 Wearable Tracks Your Brain All Day, Even While You’re Moving

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Our brain is still a mystery, of which only a small part has been completely understood. Every single decision we make, every move in stressful situations, and the ability to plan way ahead of time can be attributed to the grey matter between the ears. While most wearables want to bring the prowess of advanced medical-grade brain monitoring to everyday life, the strings attached nullify the comprehensive level of scanning required for deeper insight.

Atlas Mankind, a startup, wants to change that with a $500 wearable that sticks to the back of your ears to function in the background as we go on with our daily lives. That’s a leap from other similar wearable gadgets, which require the wearer to stay still or only function while you are asleep. Dubbed Atlas 1.0, the advanced EEG gadget monitors electrodermal activity, voice patterns, and head movements throughout the day to make precise readings of what your brain is doing.

Designer: Atlas Mankind

According to Atlas Mankind, the compact EEG tracker doesn’t restrict the wearer’s movement or only function in certain situations, thereby making it a more natural and unbiased instrument for understanding the internal state of the wearer. It creates a longitudinal record of the brain’s activity in real-life situations, “which is much more meaningful than a single test or isolated brain scan.” The wearable functions in conjunction with the compatible app to track three metrics, which are Presence, Stress, and Energy Burn. That is much more comprehensive than having the half-baked metrics of your stress levels, heart rate, skin temperature, sleep analysis, and generic brain activity that other advanced wearables tout.

Coming back to the three main metrics on which Atlas 1.0 excels – Presence represents whether your attention is inwards or outwards. For instance, during a conversation with your friend, how engaged you actually were. This is done by analyzing the speech patterns and the hemisphere of the brain that was activated during that time. Then there is the Stress tracking, which keeps a very close tab on your physiological stress in the background. The last one is Energy Burn that identifies the activities that were most taxing during the course of the day.

In conjunction with the app that connects to your calendars, event logs, and schedules, the wearable determines the level of shift in these metrics for an in-depth analysis of the brain state over a period of time. The patterns revealed can help the user identify which habits and activities are worth taking up and which ones are better avoided if possible. Atlas 1.0 sticks to the skin behind the ears on an adhesive pad and records the brain waves, as well as voice patterns (not the actual speech for data safety) and movement 24×7. With a dataset of more than 50,000 brain recordings to power the advanced algorithm, the prospects here are exciting.

According to Ana Montero, co-founder & chief executive officer, “For the first time, some of the most important moments in a human life are becoming measurable.” This is supported by André Marques-Smith, PhD: co-founder & chief technology officer, who says, “commitment to accuracy makes ATLAS a tool for genuine mastery and personal science, not just measurement and vanity metrics.” He adds that the engineering challenge of capturing “research-grade data while in motion” is what makes Atlas 1.0 special.

The company is already taking pre-orders for the non-invasive wearable, and it does come with a $30 monthly subscription to keep going. It’ll be interesting to see how accurate the wearable turns out to be, since it is not cheap and you’ll have to keep paying a monthly subscription to make it relevant.

 

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Lume Ranger is compact aluminum travel trailer with teak interiors and pop-up roof

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Introduced recently at the Caravan Salon Düsseldorf, the 2027 Lume Ranger travel trailer weighs only 2,535 pounds and costs roughly $70,000. Its hand-riveted aluminum body features a pop-up roof to increase headroom. A slide-out kitchen and extra-luxurious teak and felt interiors give the Lume Ranger’s lightest trailer a dimension worth noticing.

Crafted in the Netherlands, Lume Traveler’s trailers like this one are positioned somewhere between an Airstream trailer and a caravan. The new addition to the Lume catalog is not very far from this image. In fact, it carries forward that appearance, but this time in a more compact, yet luxurious and affordable form factor.

Designer: Lume Traveler

The body of the Lume Ranger travel trailer is made of anodized, riveted aluminum and is designed to be compact. It measures only 17 feet long and weighs just 1,150 kg (2,535 pounds) when empty. Making it, as the company says, the smallest and lightest Lume model yet. Owing to the petite size, the Lume Ranger rides on a single-axle AL-KO and is hand-built to order in the company’s Holten facility.

For its efficacy, design, and form factor, the Lume Ranger is nominated for the ANWB Caravan of the Year 2027, with results likely to be released this month. With its size and form, it is easy to tow with all types, including compact SUVs and crossovers – no heavy-duty tow rig required – and should be easy to park and drive to where you want it to go.

When you are towing it behind your vehicle, the Lume Ranger travel trailer is barely 219 cm tall. But when it reaches the camp location, you can pop up its roof and easily open up the interior to about 8.5 feet of headroom. Inside, you get a very luxurious interior that you can hardly look away from. The flooring is made entirely from teak, and the walls are clad in felt. You can find premium leather details all throughout the cabin, which are matched with linen curtains.

A fixed queen-size bed fills the better part of the cabin, which is also laid out with a dinette and a separate toilet room. Lume prefers to keep cooking separate from living, and the trend continues with the Lume Ranger as well. The kitchen that rests under the bed can be pulled out on the outside for cooking. The stainless steel kitchen is well equipped with a PITT gas burner, sink, fridge drawer, and storage.

If you’re interested in the look, feel, and the provided amenities in the Lume Ranger, you can get it starting at €59,950 (approximately $70,000). Since each travel trailer is hand-built to order, you can visit Lume Traveler’s website now and get one configured for yourself. The rig is only available in Europe; buyers stateside would have to wait for now.

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A gull-winged flying car concept designed to overshadow a Bugatti or Lamborghini

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Flying cars were once considered a pipe dream, eventually moving into feasible territory. Now, after years of research and development by visionary minds, the distant dream is almost on the horizon, with prototypes and concepts in their final stages of fruition. Xpeng AeroHT eVTOL has been lurking in the shadows, ready to make the flying car dream a daily affair, Toyota is in hot pursuit with its eVTOL, and Fusion Flight is also in the mix with Axion.

As highways and freeways get even more congested, the idea of flying cars makes even more sense. Eventually, the buck will stop at how aesthetic your flying car is compared to your neighbour, and we are not talking about a very distant time when that’ll happen. Most eVTOL concepts and prototypes we’ve seen thus far are either too boxy or strikingly close to a helicopter design. That leaves no individual personality for a flying car to make itself heard.

Designer: Luigi Memola

This prompted Luigi to come up with a flying car that has its own unique persona to be confident about while being completely within the realms of practicality. Meet the VEKTOR dual-mode vehicle that is as good on the tarmac as it is when high up in the air. The vehicle looks inspired by the aerodynamic form of fighter jets while adapting a supercar element to keep the motorheads excited about the prospect. The front section of the car is sharp to provide the least resistance to the flow of air, and curves on the sides to provide lift for smooth takeoffs.

The single-seater flying car is built for adrenaline junkies who have got bored of showing off their exclusive supercars on roads. The next avenue for them is obviously the VEKTOR with its combination of raw power, ultra-manoeuvrability, and attractive looks. The car’s wide wingspan assists in very short take-off and landing, which is important for a smooth transition from riding the freeway tarmac and then taking off at will. The rear section of the flying vehicle has thrusters and exhaust, aided by the optimized spoiler design, which helps in staying airborne without burning too much fuel.

When airborne, the two rear wheels and the bigger front wheel retract back into the underbody to eliminate any drag. On the road, the vehicle’s wings retract sideways, just like the side skirts that go over a modified car. Everything seems like a part of the design, which speaks volumes about the concept iteration. Luigi has managed to complement the sporty performance of this flying vehicle with the beautiful aesthetics, draped in a pearl-finish crimson lake hue. Indeed, something anyone won’t mind paying a premium for in the near future, to be honest.

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Volkswagen launches first all-electric camper van and it’s called the ID. California Cruise

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The closest we got to a Volkswagen ID. Buzz camper van was in 2024, when restoration outfit Peace Vans from Seattle, U.S., transformed the VW into not one but three fully-fledged camper van options. Ever since, a large population of fans has dreamt of an actual camper version of the ID. Buzz.

It has been some four years since ID. Buzz made its debut, but the wait is now finally over. Volkswagen has unveiled its first all-electric camper van based on the ID. Buzz. It’s called the ID. California Cruise, and it was recently showcased for the first time at the 2026 Caravan Salon in Düsseldorf, Germany.

Designer: Volkswagen

The camper van is the first all-electric version of the California model that Volkswagen has had on the roads for almost 23 years now. It is set to launch in Germany in early 2027. There is no word on whether it will make off shores, but that shouldn’t stop us from learning what this interesting ride is likely to feature.

The ID. California Cruise will feature a sleeping accommodation for two people. The van has a 2m long bed provided with a freshly developed 9 cm thick folding mattress. This bed is formed by converting the rear seats and when you’re back there, you can draw the back-out window curtains and have yourself a cozy den to sleep in.

When you’re not being comfortable in the rear of your ID. California Cruise, you can set out a set of accompanying camping chairs and a camping table outside to dine or just bask in the sun. Along with the embedded back-out blinds, the camper van comes with an optional panoramic glass roof, which also comes with a set of matching black-out blinds.

For the basics, the Volkswagen ID. California Cruise comes with a unique California mode, which allows the lights, USB ports, and other interior functions to be controlled by a central unit while camping. The vehicle designed for camping lacks cooking equipment, but it does allow its battery to be used to power appliances, if you have any onboard, and also charge vehicle or outdoor lighting systems with continuous output of up to 2,000 watts and a peak output of 3.6 kW.

The ID. California Cruise will be available with either the short or long wheelbase of the ID. Buzz, and feature climate control to heat or cool the interior when you’re sleeping. It can maintain the temperature for about 48 hours continuously, depending on the battery’s charge status of course, along with external factors like the temperature outside.

For the campers who love to stay ahead in the game, VW is updating the California App with the Electric Trip function. This is designed to give drivers a heads-up of charging stations in the direction they’re headed. With all the mentioned features and more, the ID. California Cruise is likely to start at €60,800 (roughly $70,000), which is a sweet spot for camper van enthusiasts, I believe.

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Enthusiast turns cargo bike into ultra-efficient solar vehicle for Alpine adventure and beyond

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The Sun Trip has to be one of the most grueling eco-adventures and rallies where e-bikes race against time for 100 percent solar recharging ability. The sheer level of raw testing of machines against the elements, with no support crew or vehicles during the expedition, is what makes this Alpine adventure reserved only for those who are deep in their roots of engineering.

The eco adventure requires the e-bikes to go through mandatory checkpoints via designated regions, or pick their own routes. There’s no scope for any repair assistance or night camping provisions. One rule that’s crystal clear is that you never touch grid electricity during the course of the competition; otherwise, you are disqualified for the solar leg. Since 2013, the event has run successful editions in Europe, Central Asia, China, and North Africa.

Designer: Shawn Boden Ryan

This year’s Alpine edition saw an interesting e-bike powered by a solar panel array mounted on the front of the ride. The man behind the build is Ryan, who took a salvaged Omnium cargo bike with a sizeable front rack panel and turned it into a solar-powered ride for the competition. The first task was to remove those big panels and make way for a very unique 200W solar power array connected to the Genasun GVB-8 boost MPPT single charge controller. This was then mated to the two 36-volt batteries – one of them from EM3-EV, and the other from Infinit. Doing the heavy lifting in the setup is a 250W Tongsheng TSDZ2B mid-drive motor from Varstrom.

Since the amount of energy generated by the solar panels is a premium, the setup runs perfectly in this configuration. Keeping the overall weight down to a minimum was essential; therefore, even with the camping gear, camera equipment, and other essentials, the bike clocked just under 135 lbs. The changing spectrum of weather during the course of the competition was a big challenge, as the heatwave proved to be a big challenge. One of his batteries – the Infinit modular – took the onslaught of 41 degrees Celsius. “The BMS was essentially doing its job and protecting the battery, but it meant that for periods of the day I couldn’t store all the solar energy the panels were producing,” Ryan said.

The handicap forced him to plug into the grid for 1kWh of energy harvesting, which automatically put him out of the solar-only competition. On the good days, the 200 W capacity proved enough to power his bike through, but scope for things going wrong was pretty thin. Even if the battery would not have failed, it was anybody’s guess if he would have managed to make it through the solar-only competition. That I say because Ryan himself admitted that, “250W Tongsheng did struggle thermally on some of the really long climbs.” Learning from those little outcomes, he is already redesigning the concept bike for the Sun Trip from France to China in 2028.

He is considering shifting from a cargo bike to a long-wheelbase semi-recumbent layout. The solar bike will have the rider seat considerably further forward, topped with the wide solar canopy. This will increase the solar area, boost the aerodynamics, and make the ride more comfortable over long distances.

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Plaud One AI Earbuds remember and summarize your conversations so you can focus on the work

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Most wireless earbuds are designed to disappear into the background while you listen to music or take calls. Plaud One is more ambitious compared to your normal buds, as it wants to remember what happens around you and then help turn those conversations into actual work.

The AI earbuds can record face-to-face conversations, phone calls, or online meetings without needing to stay connected to a smartphone. That is possible because the charging case includes built-in 4G LTE connectivity through an eSIM. Plaud says it has arrangements covering more than 80 countries and regions, allowing the earbuds to upload recordings even when your phone or Wi-Fi connection isn’t nearby.

Designer: Plaud

Recording isn’t limited to the earbuds, either. The case has its own microphones, allowing it to work as a standalone recorder when placed on a meeting table. Users can start recording from the earbuds, the case, or the app, while a recording indicator on the case provides a visible cue that audio is being captured. The earbuds can also natively capture audio from video-calling services such as Google Meet and Zoom. Once a conversation has been captured, Plaud’s software can transcribe it, summarize the discussion, and identify useful information. The more interesting step is what happens next. Plaud Agent is designed to use that conversational context to prepare follow-up work, such as an email, report, document or presentation.

It can connect with services including Gmail, Google Calendar, Notion and Slack, potentially allowing a meeting to produce something useful before you even return to your desk. That makes Plaud One different from an AI recorder that simply leaves you with a transcript to sort through later. The company is positioning the wearable as an AI system that can remember information across conversations and use that context to help automate workflows. You can also interact with the assistant using a voice command or the dedicated button on the case.

There is still a conventional pair of wireless earbuds underneath all this. Plaud One uses Bluetooth 5.4 with multipoint connectivity, supports SBC and LDAC codecs, and includes active noise cancellation rated for up to 40dB of reduction. The earbuds are IP54-rated for dust and splash resistance. Battery life is rated at up to six hours for music playback with ANC off, while the case adds up to 36 hours of additional listening time. Storage is built into the system as well, with 16MB in each earbud and another 512MB in the case. Plaud says the case can hold up to 30 hours of recordings. Recording endurance from the earbuds varies depending on the use, with up to six hours for in-person recording and around three hours for calls and podcasts.

The $250 Explorer Edition comes with $200 worth of Plaud Credits for its agentic AI features, but that allowance is not unlimited. Heavier transcription and AI use can require paid plans or additional credits, making the ongoing cost an important part of the product’s proposition.

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Hermès weaves time on Arceau Cheval Natté watch using 400 silk threads and lots of diamonds

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Henri d’Origny designed the iconic luxury wristwatch Arceau first in 1978. Ever since, it has been Hermès’ most preferred collection for experimentation. This continues in style with the introduction of the new Arceau Cheval Natté, a limited-edition Hermès watch whose dial is entirely woven from silk.

If that sounds unheard of in a watch, it’s because this is, for the first time, a watch dial that features a horse’s head woven geometrically using 400 silk threads. The way the threads are used on the timepiece is beyond the ordinary. Each individually selected silk thread is laid one by one, in a precise direction, by hand. This is done meticulously to ensure that when light moves across the surface, each woven section behaves differently, creating an eye-catching interplay of light, depth, and texture.

Designer: Hermès

This silk thread motif was originally created for Hermès home accessories by designer Tong Ren, and has been for the first time interpreted on a watch dial as horse’s head, which honors Hermès’ association with horses, which started with its days crafting high-quality leather harnesses and saddles. The silk dial, enhanced with the use of 123 diamonds and champlevé engraving, sits within a 38mm rose gold case.

The watch also has a bezel to look out for. Complementing the unique dial is the bezel embedded with 70 diamonds and a crown on the side adorned with a single diamond. The Arceau Cheval Natté is powered by an in-house, self-winding H1912 movement. Hermès states, it’s crafted in Switzerland, and that the calibre measures 23.9 mm in diameter and 3.9 mm in thickness, and operates at 28,800 beats per minute. It offers the watch a 50-hour power reserve.

The watch has a see-through sapphire crystal caseback, which provides a clear view of the signature sprinkling Hs on the movement. Besides the embellishment and the dial, the Arceau Cheval Natté is a simple horological instrument. It has only the primary hours and minutes hands and is made in two versions. One of them is a luminous model, which is pretty close to the vivid colors of the original design. The second, on the other hand, is a variant with more intense black, red, and brown tones.

Each version of the Arceau Cheval Natté, Hermès notes, is a limited edition of 24 pieces. Water-resistant to 30 meters, the watch comes paired with either a dune or black matte alligator strap secured with a rose‑gold pin buckle. Straps are also made in Hermès’ own workshops. The new Hermès watch does not intend to present time through complication, it chooses to weave time in silk for $95,200.

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IKEA and Xbox’s YXSTABY furniture collection makes gaming feel more at home

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Gaming furniture often announces its purpose a little too loudly with oversized chairs and brightly colored accents. This can make a living room feel more like a dedicated gaming den if you are not someone who wants one. IKEA and Xbox take a different approach with YXSTABY, a nine-piece collection designed to make gaming fit more naturally into everyday spaces.

Unveiled at Gamescom in Cologne on August 26, the collection resonates with how practical gaming actually happens at home. It can span across living rooms, bedrooms, dining tables, and shared spaces rather than in a dedicated room. IKEA and Xbox developed every piece together, pairing IKEA’s experience in home furnishings with Xbox’s understanding of how people actually play. The teams also visited homes to understand the practical challenges of fitting gaming into everyday routines.

Designer: IKEA and Xbox

The result is furniture that addresses the less glamorous parts of gaming, particularly where to put controllers, cables, screens, and other hardware when they are not being used. The mobile TV stand, for example, can be rolled to wherever gaming is happening and includes storage at the back. Once the session is over, it can simply be moved aside. A toolbox provides another compact solution for homes without a permanent gaming setup. It keeps controllers, cables, and hardware together, while its lid doubles as a laptop stand. That means a dining table can transition from a gaming surface back into an everyday workspace without leaving equipment scattered across it.

The rolling side table similarly provides a dedicated place for controllers, with charging space hidden behind sliding doors. Some of YXSTABY’s most interesting ideas come directly from the Xbox controller. The collection includes a D-pad-inspired cushion and a stainless-steel platter, while a mirrored display box turns controllers, figurines, and other collectibles into objects worth displaying.

The most playful interpretation is the thumbstick stool. Developed using the original 3D design files from Xbox’s device designers, the stool translates the familiar controller thumbstick into a piece of furniture. Its rounded base allows it to tilt and move with the user, while its textured surface echoes the grip pattern of the original controller. Despite these references, YXSTABY avoids looking like conventional gaming merchandise. Muted white, black, and beige tones give the collection a Scandinavian character, while green is used selectively around storage pockets, compartments, and other functional details. The intention is for the furniture to sit comfortably alongside existing interiors rather than dominate them.

There are also subtler details for Xbox fans to discover. The name YXSTABY itself references the controller’s X, Y, A, and B buttons, while symbols, puzzles, and game-related elements are incorporated into various pieces. YXSTABY will be available through IKEA stores and online from October 1, although availability may vary by market.

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LEGO’s new Executor Super Star Destroyer is its longest Star Wars set yet

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LEGO is giving one of the most imposing ships in the Star Wars universe a suitably oversized treatment. The new Executor Super Star Destroyer set recreates Darth Vader’s personal flagship from The Empire Strikes Back as an Ultimate Collector Series model measuring more than 53.5 inches long. With 6,130 pieces, it becomes the longest LEGO Star Wars brick-built model yet, turning the familiar dagger-shaped spacecraft into a substantial display piece for adult collectors.

The scale is immediately apparent from the dimensions of 7.5 inches high and 20 inches wide, giving it a considerably broader footprint than previous versions of the Executor. Rather than simply stretching the ship to achieve its length, LEGO has used the additional pieces to build out surface texture, structural reinforcement, and mechanical detailing across the hull. The model is designed to look convincing from multiple angles rather than functioning as a simple oversized silhouette.

Designer: LEGO

Construction is built around an internal framework intended to keep the long, relatively thin body from sagging. A brick-built spine works with Technic elements to support the outer armor, while large sections of the hull are assembled in panels around a more intricate central structure. Pipes, vents, and other greebling add visual depth, while repeated printed tiles contribute the tiny illuminated details associated with the ship’s surface. The rear engine section gets particular attention, with layered components and orange turbine details giving the back of the model a more technical appearance.

LEGO also uses scale to emphasize just how enormous Vader’s flagship is. The set includes a smaller Imperial Star Destroyer on a display stand beside the Executor, providing an immediate visual reference. A tiny Millennium Falcon is represented on the Super Star Destroyer as another playful indication of the ship’s enormous fictional scale. The main model itself sits on a built-in stand, positioning it as a display piece once construction is complete. The set includes seven minifigures, with Darth Vader accompanied by the six bounty hunters seen in The Empire Strikes Back: Boba Fett, Dengar, Bossk, IG-88, 4-LOM, and Zuckuss. It is the first LEGO set to bring all six of those bounty hunters together, while a small recreation of the Executor’s bridge provides a dedicated setting for their meeting with Vader.

As part of LEGO’s adult-focused Ultimate Collector Series, the Executor is both a demanding building project and a striking display piece. For Star Wars collectors with the room to accommodate it, however, the sheer physical presence is precisely the point. The set carries a US retail price of $799.99, with LEGO Insiders receiving early access from October 1. The set is also eligible for a Darth Vader lightsaber gift during the October 1–7 promotional period, while supplies last.

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FiiO QX11 brings desktop-class audio power to a pocket-sized DAC

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A good DAC should disappear into the setup, not demanding any attention or taking over a desk. The high-resolution amplifier should be better at doing just one task – simply making your headphones or earphones sound better. FiiO’s new QX11 takes that idea in a more ambitious direction, packing the kind of amplification and audio processing normally associated with larger desktop equipment into a compact USB-C device that can travel with your modern-day gadgets.

The Chi-Fi brand’s latest offering is designed for listeners who want more than a basic headphone dongle. Beneath its compact aluminium alloy and forged carbon-fiber body are two flagship ESS ES9069Q DAC chips, paired with four Texas Instruments operational amplifiers. The configuration supports PCM playback up to 32-bit/768kHz and native DSD512, giving it plenty of capability for high-resolution music without turning the device into an unnecessarily bulky piece of hardware.

Designer: Fiio

The biggest upgrade from FiiO KA17 is arguably the amount of power available to headphones. In Desktop Mode, the QX11 can deliver up to 800mW + 800mW, exceeding the 650mW + 650mW output of the predecessor. That extra headroom is particularly useful for demanding headphones and high-impedance models that can benefit from stronger amplification and better control. FiiO also wants the QX11 to work beyond traditional music listening. A dedicated Gaming Mode introduces audio profiles for FPS, ACT, and MOBA games, allowing the same device to shift from a high-resolution music DAC to a more gaming-focused audio interface.

Voice communication is also built in, as QX11 features a microphone and AI environmental noise cancellation intended to suppress surrounding sounds during voice chats. For someone using wired headphones, that means fewer accessories are needed to create a more complete gaming setup. The audio gadget also brings a more accessible approach to equalization with FiiO’s software ecosystem, as users can select supported headphone models and apply automatic correction profiles instead of manually adjusting individual frequency bands. Genre-specific EQ presets further allow the sound to be tailored to different types of music.

There is also a thoughtful solution to one of the less glamorous problems with powerful portable DACs: battery drain. The QX11 incorporates dual USB-C ports with 45W USB Power Delivery passthrough, allowing a connected phone or laptop to receive power while the DAC is being used. This makes it more practical for longer listening sessions or gaming away from a conventional desktop setup.

With green and gold finishes, Fiio QX11 has enough visual character to stand out without looking like conventional gaming hardware. At $170, the DAC is tailored for buyers who care as much about versatility as raw specifications. Rather than being another dongle focused solely on decoding high-resolution files, QX11 is a compact audio hub capable of moving between serious music listening, gaming, and everyday portable use without changing the rest of the setup. Indeed, something for a starter audiophile like me who likes things less complicated.

 

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